


Caffeine High

by Justalittlelouislove



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Ficlet, First Kiss, birthday fic, but not actually sorry, coffee shop AU, happy birthday sweetie!, i can't help it im sorry, mentions of zayn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 02:00:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20592800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justalittlelouislove/pseuds/Justalittlelouislove
Summary: Louis really just wants a cup of coffee. Life and Liam Payne have other plans.





	Caffeine High

**Author's Note:**

> Happy belated birthday darling! You're lovely and I love being your mutual!

Liam Payne is a loyal friend, a trustworthy confidant, brave in the face of danger and disaster, quick witted and funny in the face of offense, he’s handsome and kind and the biggest pain in Louis’s ass since… Ever. 

“I’m done,” Louis says, stopping so abruptly Liam runs about five feet more before he processes that he’s alone and turns back. Louis crosses his arms and watches Liam jog back towards him. “I’m finished. This is boring. I’m not going any further.” 

Liam has the audacity to roll his eyes while jogging in place in front of him. 

“Stop jogging. You look like an idiot. More. More of an idiot, which is somehow impressive but embarrassing. Stop.”

Liam starts marching, which is miles and miles worse. “You run back and forth across the soccer field for hours. There’s no way you’re tired. We’ve only gone two miles.” 

“I didn’t say I was tired,” Louis snaps. He kicks at Liam’s shins to get him to stop, that only serves to make him march faster. It just keeps getting worse. “I said I was bored. There’s a point in soccer, there's no point in this.” 

Liam finally stops, apparently giving up on his heart rate, and sighs. “There’s a point to this. Physical fitness is the point.” 

The early fall chill is still hanging in the morning air and it’s cooling the sweat on Louis’s neck rapidly. It sends a chill up his spine, irritating him.

“You are physically fit, Liam. I don’t think you could be more fit, you can’t even paint more abs on you have no space.” 

Liam preens but tries to hide it. “Yeah, well… I mean for you.” 

Louis stares at him for several, cold, silent, deadly seconds. “Are you calling me fat?” 

“No!” Liam shouts quickly, startling a woman jogging past so soundly that she stumbles and nearly falls off the curb before Louis steadies her. 

Liam turns a startling shade of pink under her reproachful glare. “I’m sorry ma’am.”

She huffs and jogs away with decidedly more attitude in her step. Louis likes her; he contemplates jogging along with her just for the change of company. 

“Are you even listening?”

“Not even a little,” Louis says easily, turning away from what probably was meant to be a wonderful friendship and marching in the other direction. Towards caffeine and sugar, which is better than friendship anyway. 

Liam keeps pace at his side. “I wasn’t calling you fat. You’re not fat. Nothing is fat about you. Well— well I mean—”

“Let’s not talk about my ass before 9am, okay Liam? Can we make that a rule? A friendship rule. No ass talk before say, noon?”

Liam flaps his hands a little, growing flustered or possibly trying to fly. “I— fine. I just think you have been cooped up and staying inside and not you know… socializing.”

The sidewalk walk is littered with little puddles and freshly fallen, slippery, leaves. Louis focuses half his attention on avoiding them and the other half on rolling his eyes as hard as possible in Liam’s direction. 

“You always sound a hundred years old,” he accuses. He can actually smell the coffee in the air now, so he speeds his pace. “‘Socializing’ what does that even mean? What am I supposed to be doing? Knitting club?” 

They’ve finally reached the corner coffee store of all things love and luxury, or Brewed Beans, as it’s actually called, but Liam places his stupidly large body mass directly in Louis’s way before he can get inside. 

“Socializing is a normal word,” he says, wounded and pouting. “And anyway, it's a normal thing to do. You know—spending time with people.” 

Louis wants to poke him in the eye. But he’s still pouting. Jesus. “I spend time with people. You are people and this is time. You are a very important person to me Liam and I have spent much time with you just this morning alone.” 

Liam smiles, easily pleased, but doesn’t _ move _. “You’re important to me too. I care about you Lou.” 

Louis can see the counter from over Liam’s right shoulder. There's barely a line at all. He probably would already have coffee by now if he’d been allowed inside. 

“Yes, Liam. I am getting that impression. Coming across loud and clear—” 

“You’re not dating anyone.” 

Louis freezes. His stomach plummets and he feels like someone’s dumped an ice bath over his head. Oh no. This never goes well. 

“Liam—” 

“Look,” Liam says loudly, cutting him off. “I know your last break up was bad. But, you’re amazing. And so hot! You’re hot Louis, I mean come on! Your cheekbones could cut glass and your ass—” 

“I’m not dating you, Liam.” Louis tries for soft, gentle. 

It doesn’t work, judging by the way Liam’s face goes from pink to bright red, to ghostly white in ten seconds flat. “What?” 

It’s just as well Liam hadn’t allowed him to get into the coffee shop, he’d probably be drowning himself in a coffee pot to avoid having this awful conversation. “Look, Liam, you are my best friend. I love you more than anyone, but I don’t love you like that. Let’s not ruin this.” 

Liam fish mouths for a few seconds and then his face shifts again, to something like anger and Louis braces himself. “I am actively sleeping with Zayn_ fucking _ Malik and you think I am asking you out?” 

Louis takes a step back, bristles. “What is that supposed to mean? You think Zayn is more attractive than me?” 

“Zayn is more attractive than everyone!” Liam explodes, throwing his hands in the air with a disbelieving laugh. “Are you kidding me right now?” 

Louis is really and truly tired of this fucking conversation, this morning, and everything that is currently happening. Just… all of it. “How about instead of this weird-ass game of charades or hangman or whatever you want to call this you just tell me the point, I ignore you, and we get coffee?” 

Liam crosses his arms. Behind him, the line at the counter completely disappears. The beans sing a lonely song, calling out to Louis desperately. 

_ Louis _ . _ Louis _ . _ Louis _.

“The point is, you never date anymore and it’s time you had a boyfriend. Or at least a… boy.” 

It is absolutely not time for that. It is time for coffee. Coffee does not aggravate him, leave his socks all over his flat, or try to fuck his co-workers. Liam however, will never take that answer, Louis knows. So. 

“I’ve had a boyfriend,” Louis lies, tipping his chin up and looking Liam square in his eye. “I just didn’t tell you because I wasn’t sure if it was going to get serious and it didn’t. We already broke up. So, the timer has reset, I have more time to find a new life nuisance. Can we please get coffee now?” 

Liam’s eyebrows shoot up but he still doesn’t move any other part of his body. Why has no one tried coming out of this coffee shop and hit him with the door? Maybe once you go in, you’re trapped inside forever. Louis can only hope. 

“You have?” Liam narrows his eyes. “Who? Do I know them?” 

Oh, Jesus. Of course, Liam would want proof. Louis scrambles mentally and looks up over his shoulder again and spots his way out. 

“Yes! Yup, yes you do!” Louis says, clearing his throat. “It’s Harry.” 

Liam blinks. “Harry? Harry who—The barista?!” 

The tone of surprise is a little uncalled for, Louis thinks. Liam was just saying how hot he is. “Yes, the barista. Why are you making that face?” 

Liam immediately shifts his expression and shrugs. “Well…” 

“Well, what Liam? Please finish your sentence so I can get on with my life. 

Liam finally moves but it's only to the side about three inches, so he can look into the coffee shop in a way that he probably thinks, is smooth and inconspicuous and that probably only 4500 people notice. 

“Well, I mean,” Liam says hushedly like suddenly Harry can hear him. “It was always so obvious that he had a crush on you. But I thought you were completely oblivious. You never did that weird loud talking, freak out thing you usually do when someone is attracted to you.” 

The camel’s back, buried under a hundred thousand straws, suddenly breaks. “I do not do a weird, loud, anything,” Louis says loudly, waving his hand in Liam’s face weirdly until he’s forced to back away and Louis can finally get to the handle of the door. 

He yanks open the door and then freezes, realizing suddenly his glaring misstep. He spins around and gets as close to Liam’s face as he can without spider monkeying him and makes his most serious expression.

“It was an awful breakup and things are still very tense between us but I try to play it cool so he doesn’t know I’m all torn up about him. So please, for once in your life, do not try and save the day and just order your coffee okay?” Louis says in one rushed breath. 

Liam, a seasoned pro at both being vaguely threatened and following Louis’s lead, nods. 

The smell of coffee and baked goods is so amazing inside the shop, Louis barely holds back a whimper. He marches to the still blissfully empty counter and rocks on the balls of his feet. With Liam at his side, he waits for Harry, the incredibly cute but not ever even close to being his boyfriend barista, to turn around and take his order. 

It’s only about thirty seconds before he does turn and shoot him a wide grin. “Hey, Lou! How are you?” 

“Like you don’t know,” Liam mumbles darkly. 

Louis’s neck audibly cracks as he yanks his head around to glare at him. 

Harry’s brow furrows. “Uh—”

Louis turns back with a shake of his head that he hopes conveys “don't mind my friend he was dropped on his head as a child and now really shouldn’t even be allowed in public.” 

Harry smiles again tentatively, so it’s a fair assumption the message has been received. 

“I’m good thanks. I’ll have a large, just cream” Louis says and then glances over at Liam. Decides not to risk it. Liam obviously can’t be trusted to speak while he’s wearing his Captain Save Louis cape. “And he’ll have a medium, half-caff, soy.” 

Harry nods and shuffles away, getting to the order. Louis pulls out his wallet and rifles through for his debit card until Liam sighs for the fourth time. 

Louis slaps the card on the counter. “What. What is the problem?” 

Liam glances over to Harry over at the end of the counter and back to Louis. “Did he at least apologize?” 

Louis blinks. “Apologize?” 

Another quick glance away and Liam widens his eyes. “Yes, apologize. Did he apologize for whatever happened with the breakup?” 

When he was a boy, Louis’s grandmother used to recite a little poem to him when he told white lies. As he looks at Liam’s furrowed brow and look of genuine concern, he can hear the soft voice play in his head. 

_ Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. _

He can see Harry putting the lid on his coffee out of the corner of his eye and he'd like to just run out of the shop altogether. But, he’s always been good at getting his back against the wall and using it as a goddamn springboard, no reason to stop now. 

There are other coffee shops in this town. 

“You know, he didn’t, Liam,” Louis says, just in time for Harry to bring their drinks to the counter, unassuming and innocent. 

“He should,” Liam grumbles crossing his arms and looking somewhere over Harry’s right shoulder. 

Harry glances at Liam, obviously puzzled by his posturing, and shrugs. “That will be $5.” 

Louis hands him the card and thinks about just grabbing the coffee and going, but the back of Liam’s neck is starting to get red which means there is going to be an explosion any minute. The only question is whether it's controlled or not. And you know what they say about making sure something is done right.

“I just wanted to let you know I’ve changed my mind,” Louis snips, snatching the card back when Harry hands it over. 

Liam turns to look between them, eyes narrowed. 

Harry frowns at their drinks. “Did you want something el—” 

“I know I said I would forgive you and everything is fine,” Louis powers on, feeling his old gears clink into place and start to roll with a creak, “but I changed my mind. You made the biggest mistake of your life choosing your career over me.” 

Harry glances at the cash register and back at Louis. “My career?” 

“Is there an echo in here?” Liam grumbles snottily, which isn’t really high brow, Louis knows, but Liam is very pretty and there are concessions that can be made for loyal, pretty people who are really just trying their best. 

Harry glares at Liam like he doesn’t adhere to that particular belief. He opens his mouth, probably to prove it so Louis practically shouts over him. 

“So this is just me saying goodbye. This—this coffee. It’s a goodbye coffee. This is the last you’ll be seeing of me. You can keep my records.” 

Harry’s jaw actually drops open and Louis spins on his heel, marching towards the door with Liam following closely behind him whisper-demanding confirmation that none of his records are the ones actually being left behind. But before Louis can make his dramatic exit and successfully forget about the entire charade, Harry yells his name. 

Thanks to basic human instincts, or some other crap, instead of just continuing out the door, Louis stops dead in his tracks and spins around. 

Harry hops the counter. _ Hops it. _And marches towards them with so much purpose, not even Liam moves a muscle and doesn’t stop until he’s toe to toe with Louis. 

“You’re right.” 

Louis bluescreens. “What?” 

Harry tilts his head and stares into his eyes. “You’re right. I’m a fool. An idiot. 

Louis knows there is still a brain in his head, he’s just not sure why it’s not working. “An idiot?” 

Liam doesn’t make another echo comment, which is incredibly smart of him. 

Harry nods and brings his hands up to cup Louis’s face, thumbs at his jaw. Louis’s hand, the one not gripping his coffee cup tightly, wraps around Harry’s wrist automatically. 

Harry sways a little closer. “I never should have let you walk away from me. Despite the view.” 

And before Louis can even think to be flattered about the obvious ass compliment, Harry kisses him. 

The floor, apparently made of less than grade A materials crumbles out from under Louis’s feet and the entire coffee shop tilts on its axis. Everything falls away except for the warm press of Harry’s lips to his and the smell of Harry’s cologne. His knees give out and his only choice is to lean into Harry’s body and cling to his wrists for dear life. 

Harry pulls back, just a second before Louis’s heart gives out altogether, and smiles at him. 

“Sorry baby,” he says lowly, eyes glittering with mischief. 

Damn, smug looks good with dimples. 

Louis smiles. “I guess I can give you another chance.” 

Liam scoffs and maybe says something but Louis doesn’t catch it because he’s too busy leaning in to kiss Harry again. 

There may be other coffee shops in town, but this one just cemented its place on the very top of Louis’s list. 

Fin. 

  
  
  
  



End file.
